Sleep Apnea home test

[Corpsman8404]

Good morning!

So I had a sleep test done on 27Oct15.  I asked for the results of the test yesterday in "secure messaging" on myhealthevet.  I get the reply that I need to come in for the overnight test there, with all the hookups.  (I have heard from others that the "at home" test is pretty much inconclusive alot).

In my results below of the "at home" test, can anyone clarify things?  
(bolded part is mine)



Unattended portable sleep recording was conducted 10/27/15 16:00. The study was performed with airflow, resp belts x2, position sensor, snore microphone, actigraphy, and pulse oximetry. This HST was requested in further assessment of symptoms of snoring, witnessed apneas, and excessive daytime somnolence.

Respiratory rate is typically 12 - 14/min Pulse data shows ~ 58 bpm total and 71 bpm supine.
Baseline SpO2: ~94.1%
Time in bed: 7 hrs 41 min.
AHI: 2.2 overall, 0 supine (% 1.7 of time supine)
Minimum SpO2: 88%
IMPRESSION: This study does not meet criteria for a dx of sleep disordered breathing. However, events which were recorded were primarily central events. The few obstructive upper respiratory events were not positional.
RECOMMENDATIONS: 1) In further assessment, recommend an overnight diagnostic sleep study within 2 weeks. 







So, after doing a little research, I see that there are 3 types of sleep apnea:

*Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when a patient’s upper airway closes (either partially or fully) but efforts to breathe continue.The primary causes of upper airway obstruction are:

• lack of muscle tone during sleep
• excess tissue in the upper airway
• the structure of the upper airway and jaw

OSA is the most common form of sleep apnea, affecting more than three in ten men and nearly one in five women.



*Central sleep apnea (CSA)CSA occurs when the patient’s airway is open, but respiratory effort ceases due to a decrease in his or her ventilatory drive. It is a =18.7pxcentral nervous system disorder.CSA can be caused by heart failure, or disease or injury involving the brain, such as:

• stroke
• brain tumor
• viral brain infection
• chronic respiratory disease

Patients with CSA don’t often snore, so the condition sometimes goes unnoticed.Mixed sleep apnea




*Mixed sleep apnea occurs when the patient shows signs of both OSA (where the airway is obstructed) and CSA (where no effort is made to breathe).








In seeing the above from my workup, it "states" I have more of a "primary central events", yet the definition of CSA says don't often snore.  Oh...I snore, trust me!  lol.
So what does this all mean? Is CSA more apt to be dangerous? More apt to compensation? Et cetera?
Sorry for such a long post, and I'm sure better results will come from the full on/in house testing at the facility.

[Andyman73]

Is it possible that my dentist can make the connection between excessive wear on my teeth with SA?  He's the one who really pushed me to get checked.  He said in his professional experience, more folks with badly worn teeth, due to bruxism or clenching, than not, also have SA/OSA.

Navy4Life,

I see you've outgrown your Miley Cyrus tongue out phase, lookin real sharp, channeling your OG Charlie's Angels look! Killer classy for sure!

As always,

Andy

[Corpsman8404]

Andyman,

Saw quite a bit of research indicating that Bruxism is common to OSA from a "medical" standpoint....  BUT...from what I have read here, bruxism in non-compensable, and not alot of VA cases tying the two. Bruxism is a symptom.

Seems it is more common to secondary to PTSD...BUT...it is difficult. (isn't everything when it comes to all this?) 

Which leads to actually trying to apply for TMJ, and seeing what comes of that. Somebody here will know much more than I do, on this.  This bruxism thing is a confusing one!

 

http://community.hadit.com/search/?type=all&q=%22bruxism+secondary+to%22

 

 

Edited February 18, 2016 by Corpsman8404

[Andyman73]

Corpsman8404,

I know I clench, I have the ridge of scar tissue inside my cheeks.  And my jaw muscles are so over developed that my dentist took pictures for his files.  Actually he was quite beside himself when he was documenting that.  He was pointing it out to the hygenist and intern who were in the exam room with us.

I actually filed for painful jaw condition instead of TMJ, since I have very little tmj related pain.  Interestingly enough, in my SMR, it is noted that I had premature and excessive wear on my molars.  But that didn't concern the dentist at all while treating me during my AD years.  They were just interested in trying to resolve my painful jaw condition.

But that's my lot in life, I suppose...